It wasn't until Wolfenstein: The New Order that we noticed how homogeneous first-person shooters have become over the past decade. The genre's certainly made strides forward, but from a big picture perspective, we've spent the past decade or so taking cover and performing pot-shots to reach our objectives. However, MachineGames' reboot plotted a partial return to the speedy, run-'n'-gun gameplay of the 90s.

On the other hand, DOOM fully embraces its old-school roots by shifting all emphasis toward perpetual movement guided by a hastily offensive mindset, not concerning you with caution in the slightest. It forces you to unlearn what you've learned about first-person shooters, and while that may be jarring for some, it's a welcome jolt the genre needs to break out of its stubborn complacency.

DOOM encourages rapid reactions for movement and gunplay. In removing limited weapon inventories and manual sprinting, there's a weapon wheel and running is default. With no reloading or regenerating health, instantaneous vaulting, and little to no aiming, this game's about all-out action, punishing those who stay still for but a few seconds. It's a mentality that may overwhelm you at first – especially when you consider all the weapons at your disposal and how they have secondary functions with attachments you can switch out for more options on the fly. As you master these skills, the speed at which you'll execute your bullet storms upon demon hordes will become more personally rewarding.

This is aided by the taxing AI, which consists of diverse devils ranging from the nimble, fire-throwing Imp to the cannon-equipped bullet sponge Mancubus. Many old adversaries from the classic DOOM titles have returned with more varied abilities and navigational proclivities, and as you fight them across Mars and Hell, you'll see that they complement each others' strengths and weaknesses well, ensuring that you'll never take one of them for granted. They can move and react as quickly as you can, and with plenty of open arenas filled with verticality, they can take advantage of the level design just like you, too.

A claustrophobic room with three levels, an expansive foundry with damaged walkways above lava, an uneven valley of rock with turning pathways – these are but a few kinds of arenas you'll battle upon, which are all perfectly laid out for situational awareness and spontaneous diversions in direction. You'll occasionally get caught on something or not properly vault, but traversal is nearly seamless, so you won't feel uncomfortable briefly walking backwards or turning every which way as you scour for ammo, health, and useful power-ups that can shortly amp up your speed or power.

Glory Kills, short yet satisfactory kill animations, don't interrupt momentum either since they last two seconds on average. They flawlessly blend with your actions because they change depending on what part of a demon's body you're looking at upon activating one. There are dozens to discover that feel like they were always meant to be a part of DOOM due to their gratifying, instant payoffs. Even the weapon wheel doesn't interfere with pacing since time is slowed when you activate it and resumes without a hitch upon selecting a firearm, so those worried about uneven gameplay can rest easy. It's anything but that.

Speaking of weapons, they're a joy to gather up as you find ways to interchange between them all. None of them lose their appeal due to their balanced attributes and unique attachments, like the Combat Shotgun. You can upgrade its Charged and Triple Shot modifiers to suit close or medium range fire, and the same applies to switching between the Tactical Scope and Micro Missiles with your Heavy Assault Rifle for long range duty or heavy damage. Multitasking is par for the course of being in the fast lane with the Doom Marine, and we wouldn't have it any other way with this old school romp that smartly blends past and present shooter sensibilities.

There are secrets hidden throughout maps that can not only upgrade weapons, but also armour and passive abilities. Finding dead Elite Guards will grant you tokens toward improving your Praetor suit to locate secrets more easily or switch between attachments faster. We were actually expecting more depth here since we thought that this would act as a broad skill tree that truly tailored to playing styles, but at least Argent Cells somewhat make up for this by boosting health, armour, or ammo capacity in your preferred order. And that's not mentioning how you can collect hard-to-find Doomguy figures and rack up kills in combat for points to upgrade weapon attachments' capabilities. Things like these bolster exploration, and with massive, semi-linear levels, it allows for short respites worth taking to absorb the world around you.

But towards the campaign's tail end we became so attuned to the gameplay that it started to feel repetitious. Some would rightly argue that the one-dimensional focus of DOOM to prioritise endless demon slaughter is essential, since many shooters already diversify with vehicular levels, sniper missions, etc. However, we would've liked to have seen it do its own spins on a couple sequences you'd find in today's shooters. It definitely could've benefited from some traditional objectives like a get-away or defending mission to spice things up. The game admirably attempts to diversify dozens of demon cage matches, and a few, filler boss fights somewhat break them up during the last few hours, but they were overstaying their welcome near the end.

The music is exceptionally well done by Mick Gordon, who we believe captures the tone of DOOM more appropriately than the original games, even though he may not surpass some of their classic tracks. There's metal with electric guitars at extremely low octaves and insane percussion, but the dubstep-like sounds are the real kickers, which add electronic screeches, ambient bass, and distortion wired with the harmonies of the normal instrumentation. Combined together, they thematically match the unholy union of flesh and metal defining the opposition and get you hyped for each fight.

We bow to id Software for getting this to run at 1080p and 60 frames-per-second without compromising much. While some of the texture work and environmental details look a tad off in places, the game's still visually formidable with dynamic lighting, acute animation, and stunning art direction. The low amount of settings will give you déjà vu sometimes, but the developer takes you to varying locations across the cold, industrial UAC base on Mars and numerous layers of Hell to avoid this from happening too often. These environments are busy with grotesque objects and sound architectural design with sci-fi/fantasy splendour. The weapons' and demons' designs also speak for how a tough balance between grounded realism and tongue-in-cheek creativity is struck.

That reminds us of the story, which is a perfect indicator of that last statement. You'd think demons invading Mars would be ridiculous, especially since a lone marine fights them all off while going to Hell and back. The strange thing is that, much like Wolfenstein: The New Order, the writers accept the general premise and build an ironically serious yet self-aware narrative around it.

The moment-to-moment story doesn't get in the way of the gameplay, which your character is humourously unconcerned with as well, but we were fascinated to find out more about some of the characters, especially the retelling of the DOOM Marine's origins. Thankfully, Data Logs throughout the levels indulge info surrounding the UAC's history, the ancient mysteries of Hell, and what's up with characters like Samuel Hayden and Olivia Pierce. These accounts, even entries explaining how weapons function, are cleverly written, making the universe seem plausible in itself despite how laughable that may seem.

The substantial campaign lasts for about 15 hours, which pleasantly surprised us since we kept expecting the game to end. It alone is worth being cast into this lake of fire, but we also think you'll find some enjoyment in the multiplayer. While it's not revolutionary since it lacks essential modes and features, there's still a lot of fun to be had with the vertically-inclined maps, good selection of weapons, decent customization, and close-quarters, quick gameplay that somewhat resembles Quake. It's a well-intentioned endeavor to provide an arcade multiplayer shooter with fast-paced, mindless mayhem, even if it's no contender to top-tier contemporaries.

We can't say much about the SnapMap mode, but we did fiddle with it and were impressed with the intuitiveness of constructing maps and logic pathways for enemy and object behaviour. It's also the place to find custom survival maps and co-op challenges, and while we wish there had been a separate mode with specially designed, unique maps, it's a cluttered yet neat mode to mess around in with friends or by yourself.

Conclusion

DOOM may become repetitious near the end and doesn't take needed risks with mission variety, but it boasts some of the finest shooting mechanics and thoughtful levels we've seen in a first-person shooter in years, pushing it to the very fringes of excellence. The campaign's a head-banging, heavy metal hoot with a surprisingly good backstory, striking visuals, and two decent multiplayer-minded modes to back it up. We'd dare say this could be the Dark Souls of its genre, gripping you with its nonconformity while unleashing its own kind of glorious Hell upon you. However, where this illustration falls apart is how you can raise Hell in return, going on the power trip of a lifetime to rip and tear through legions of demons.

What confuses me is why Bethesda held off review copies till launch day. Last week everyone seemed to having the impression that the game was going to be bad but clearly that's not the case. Just doesn't make any business sense.Anyway that's Doom that's now come back with a bang, while keeping to it's roots. Alongside side Wolfenstein as well, bethesda is on a good roll with FPS games, I guess the question is now since the rumours have already started... what about a new Quake?

@DrJoeystein excellent write up, I'm glad to see a lot of people giving this game its due. I loved the game, but I was a bit worried that most people wouldn't, that the world might have moved on and I was just stuck in the past. I'm so glad this isn't the case, and I hope that means we get a lot more shooters like this. Now then, for a true sequel to Duke Nukem 3D

Getting this when I get paid, really enjoyed Wolfenstein and looking forward to this. I used to play a lot of first person shooters but I've never been a fan of the modern fps games with there 2 gun nonsense and regenerating health, so this will scratch that particular itch. Shame the bodged the mp by having loadouts, snapmap looks cool though and I can't wait to find the old levels to play

@get2sammyb Actually I am talking with a friend and she asked me what is a reboot and if Doom is one. Prior to that I did not noticed that a lot fo people are saying that it is indeed a reboot, but the story ingame doesn't points to that. So I was wondering...

As for the gameplay I love it, it will be my first FPS platinum and I have already more hours into it than Uncharted 4

Doom was an impulse buy for me - and it's been fantastic. The last Doom game I've played was 64 on the N64, and just love hearing the sounds the enemies have retained, or the old door opening sfx used in other areas. And the easter eggs? Amazing. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the campaign and haven't touched MP or snapmap yet, but I can safely place my bet that this will be this year's FPS of the Year.

I rented it, and boy am I glad I did. This pure, unadulterated action is what I have been missing from shooters since, well, Wolfenstein New Order, ironically. It is just fun, and with very limited time to spend gaming, the main thing that concerns me when playing any game of any genre is whether or not it is fun. If a games becomes a grind or a chore, why waste my time when there are so many games released or soon to be released that are pure fun? If you haven't tried this yet, or you don't dig shooters, I say give this a try, it is a real eye opener.

@kyleforrester87 Thanks! With that blatantly open sequel bait, I'm sure we'll be playing as the DOOM Marine again in a couple years!

@adf86 It is strange, but I suppose they weren't going to have the multiplayer and SnapMap modes ready until launch. It did give me cause for concern since I had nothing but positive expectations for DOOM, but my worries were unfounded in the end! And yes, I'd love to see Bethesda do a new Quake next since they are on a role with FPS games!

@sub12 Right. It could've certainly been better and will likely loss followers over the the next few months (IF it doesn't change), but to say that it's flat-out bad is, in my opinion, disingenuous. All id Software needs to do is add modes like Deathmatch, CTF, and one where you can only pick up guns around maps. Then we'd have a better multiplayer on our hands! And yes, the single-player portion is worth the price of entry alone.

@MadAussieBloke A lot of his complaints come from the multiplayer, which I don't believe should detract from the value of the campaign. Even if it were a universally hated component, attempting to score the game would prove difficult. Should the game still receive a high score, or should the additional mode drag the campaign down with it? That's a tough question to answer, but I don't agree that the multiplayer is "unmemorable." Sure, in its current state I won't be playing it that much later this year (again, only if it doesn't change), but I think it scratches some of that trigger-finger, frantic gameplay itch that's missing in so many online shooters. The multiplayer may not be inspirational, but it can provide tons of fun regardless.

And I was surprised by some of his comments on how you play. "So if you run in circles around the kill chamber, shooting behind you and dodging projectiles, you can kill the majority of the enemies within — only after you've thinned the herd of Demons can you then start running forward and killing them by circle-strafing (running around them in circles)." That's something I didn't do. It can be done, but since enemies spawn all around the arenas and behave differently, attempting to corral demons would prove laborious and not worth the time. I found myself always switching from moving backward and forward at a moment's notice to seize opportunities to escape a crowd of demons or go in guns blazing. It's more fun to play that way and the game encourages this kind of "on your feet" strategy, which this reviewer seemed to circumvent to his own detriment to a certain degree.

@DrClayman Even as someone who didn't grow up on this old style of shooter, I'd LOVE to see more like DOOM in this day and age. It's a refreshingly new experience for younger audiences like myself and a nostalgic trip for shooter veterans!

@carlos82 TNO was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you loved that, you're going to adore this! And yeah, loadouts are a curious thing. I think they have their place in this multiplayer, but I think separate modes of the existing ones that disable them would be perfect.

@Melucine Based on what I know about the classic games and playing the campaign for 16+ hours, I'd say this is a reboot. It doesn't canonically work with the older games and completely re-imagines the DOOM Marine's origins, so it simply borrows a lot of themes and plot points from the original games and reworks them into a more cohesive structure.

@get2sammyb Right, story takes a backseat in DOOM for good reason. But like I said, I still think a lot of the locations, character profiles, and lore are really cool to sit back and read for a couple minutes! I was truly fascinated with how the game tries to explain away UAC's preposterous motives and the demons' physiology, origins, etc. It's all ridiculous, but I couldn't help but laugh at how much the game tries to treat itself seriously with a figurative smirk.

@Boerewors That's a good point, and I considered lowering the score to an 8 for that very reason (plus some legitimate issues with the campaign). But it's a tough thing to consider as I mentioned in my reply to @MadAussieBloke

@AXEL314 YES, I love how they implemented the old door sound! And the easter eggs are surprisingly well-placed and fun to find. All in all, I'm sure it won't be my GOTY, but I'm pretty confident it will remain my FPS of 2016.

I switched my cover to the reversible side as soon as I got the game. It's so beautiful!

@Grawlog Believe me, I had a tough time deciding whether this would be an 8 or 9! However, there's so much that DOOM does right over what is does wrong that I just had to push it to a 9. If this were a more precise rating, I would've given DOOM an 8.75, but I rounded that off to a 9 with our official scoring policy since it's honestly one of the best shooters I've played in years next to Wolfenstein: The New Order. And yeah, I hope the multiplayer improves as well. Thanks for reading!

@SkanetWasTaken I won't lie, the intro was pretty sick! I don't think it reaches the soul-crushing levels of TLoU, but it's still an awesome way to settle players into the game.

@Majic12 Totally agree. DOOM is something everyone should have a go at, whether they're an FPS fan or not. It may have its problems, but boy is it still a thrill!

well deserved score and a great review - the first review I saw that comes close to my own opinion - I got this game day one since its one of my most wanteds and its really devilish good - even better than I expected.Havent finished the campaign yet (almost through though), and I also havent tried SnapMap, but it seems this one will keep me quite busy too.Did anyone mention that the game is slightly brutal? LOLAnd did I say I love that game? ^^

I'm seriously enjoying this. The one thing that leaves me mixed is the soundtrack. It feels like it's inspired by a mix of Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails, Meshuggah and some of the ambient tracks from Quake (again with our friend Trent Reznor). It does the job but I can't help but think it's a bit by the numbers and getting musicians from those disciplines would've given it a bit more kick.

Howver, I'm having a blood lovely time with this. At this rate, I'm starting to think Bethesda are a better publisher than a developer but there you go. Of course there's only one more thing to say:

The soundtrack is very Id-ish. Doom I/II had a bunch of (illegal) midi samples of riffs lifted off of Pantera, Megadeth, etc, as well a bunch of original stuff.

Trent Reznor (NIN) actually did the soundtrack for Quake, as you mentioned.........dunno who did Quake 2, but that was probably my favorite of the bunch, it was very industrial - riff heavy why also by insanely catchy for instrumentals.

Doom 2016 fits the tempo of previous releases IMO, I ended up turning the music up and sfx down.

As for Bethesda, I think Zenimax, the actual controller of the company, was founded by ex-Bethesda founders.......hence they probably care about what the developers actually have to say (they use to run Bethesda during the early Elder Scrolls days and before).

Bethesda isn't perfect, but they do seem to be much more intune with the core gamer than most. It's great to see them develop a family of IP's (Dishonored, Elder Scrolls, Quake, Doom, Wolfenstein, Fallout, Evil Within).......pretty impressive group if you ask me.

I think we cannot simply say if doom is perfect or not. Personaly I enjoy single player campaign and also few modes from multiplayer. I only miss campaign multiplayer aka coop. For me its not 10/10, but lets say 85/100.

Its entertaining, Im motivated to find secrets and multiplayer is interesting.

Its like combination of Doom1,2 and QuakeIII. There are attempts to play on nostalgia strings and I like it.

Well deserved, this is an amazing FPS that does the old Doom games justice. If there's even the slightest possibility of couch co-op in a future game, I hope it becomes reality. That's all this needs to put it at perfect 10/10 status.

Honestly the game has really surprised me and I think if Bethesda promoted the campaign a bit more rather than the iffy multiplayer and didn't have a silly review embargo then probably more folks wouldn't have written it off.

Best shooter since Wolfy yes,I much prefer these Bethesda shooters than cod.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Wolfenstien sequel announced at E3 as one of the voice actors did say they were working on a sequel looking for a release in 2017.

'These accounts, even entries explaining how weapons function, are cleverly written, making the universe seem plausible in itself despite how laughable that may seem.'Hey, I was taking all this really seriously! 😤